Pfaff Designs' Modified 1959 Chrysler Imperial with Viper Rear End and Mopar SRT HEMI at SEMA

Mar 18, 2013

SEMA displayed Pfaff Designs 1959 Chrysler Imperial with modified Viper rear end

Customization is defined by Merriam-Webster as "to build, fit or alter according to individual specifications," and a picture of this 1959 Chrysler Imperial is the perfect candidate to sit alongside this definition. With a laundry list of modifications, alterations, iterations, parts and builders, it is hard to say what part of this beautifully designed Chrysler has not been changed. Built by an industry legend, Murray Pfaff of Pfaff Designs, this Chrysler is the pinnacle of perfection from its Dodge Viper modified rear end to its legendary 6.1 liter Hemi V8 motor with custom intake manifold and air box. The list of modifications, custom and OTS parts, as well people both directly and indirectly involved in this journey is a feast for the eyes. Murray set out "to build the sports car that Chrysler never built and re-write history," and did so, in part, by cutting the car "in half five times, at least once in every direction."

Pfaff Designs SEMA Featured 1959 Imperial has received numorous awards

Pfaff Designs SEMA Featured 1959 Imperial has received numerous awards

Perfection requires patience, time and effort. Logged from the beginning of the build, the total man-hours invested in this masterpiece totaled more than 10,000 hours over a span of 4 years. Talk about obsession. The ex-4 door Imperial has received many awards and accolades including, but not limited to:

Outstanding Engineering & Best in Class, Detroit Autorama 2012
Barris Award, Muscle Cars at the Mansion 2011
Stock to Rock, Eyes on Design Concours 2011
HOT ROD Magazine, Power Tour feature - October 2012
Mopar Action Magazine - Winter 2013

1959 Chrysler Imperial Displayed at SEMA show

Murray's search for perfection entails the use of quality materials and he got hooked on K&N when he "first used K&N products over 20 years ago and have never stopped!" Only a man with such passion for the automotive industry and a team of equally passionate and talented members could have designed and built such an amazing work of functional art, and Murray puts it best: "Individually we could have never created such an outstanding ride, but together we did!" Here is a shortened list of the parts and modification to the 1959 Imperial:

Painless Performance 18 circuit trunk mount harness
2009 Dodge Viper IRS - narrowed approximately 8"
Steering column - Ididit
Shock/Strut Manufacturer - KW Suspension
Schwartz Performance G-Machine Chassis
Muffler Manufacturer - Flowmaster Hushpower
Transmission - 518 automatic w/overdrive Model PT 518 SS (street/strip)
Engine - 2009 6.1 Mopar SRT HEMI crate motor

For those car enthusiasts inspired to build amazing vehicles, Murray had one thing to say: "Inspiration without action doesn't add up to a whole lot in the real world." We couldn't have put it better ourselves.